The Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G), headquartered in Cincinnati, used the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, to announce a new partnership that further advances P&G’s Ambition 2030 sustainability goals.

P&G has partnered with Loop, a circular e-commerce platform developed by TerraCycle, Trenton, New Jersey, to introduce “collect and recycle” circular solutions designed to eliminate packaging waste. P&G says many of its largest global brands, including Pantene, Tide, Cascade and Oral-B, will participate in this platform later this year.

Loop is a global packaging and shopping circular solution designed by TerraCycle. It offers consumers the option to have their used product packaging collected from their doorsteps for recycling or reuse. P&G says it is the first consumer products company to join Loop.

P&G also has introduced reusable, refillable packaging for what it says are some of its most popular products. The company says the packaging is part of its effort to change the world’s reliance on single-use packaging and disposable waste.

P&G says its scientists and engineers have developed innovative manufacturing, packaging and distribution solutions that will make sustainable living easy for participating consumers. Eleven P&G brands will be available in Loop in one of three formats. The Loop system will be validated and optimized through real in-market learning experiments beginning in mid-2019 in New York and Paris, the company says.

P&G says durable and refillable packaging featuring new features and functionalities is available for its Pantene, Tide, Cascade and Crest brands:

Pantene is introducing a bottle made with lightweight, durable aluminum for its shampoo and conditioner.

Tide is participating in Loop with its Tide Purclean plant-based laundry detergent in a new durable bottle made from stainless steel with a simple twist cap and easy pour spout.

Cascade has developed a new ultra-durable packaging for Cascade ActionPacs that enable consumers to skip the prewash.

Crest Platinum mouthwash will be packaged in a refillable glass bottle.

Ariel and Febreze will use durable, refillable packaging that also is available in stores, testing a new direct-to-consumer refill and reuse model.

Oral-B will test circular solutions for its electric rechargeable and manual toothbrushes. The manual Oral-B CLIC features a durable handle equipped with a mechanism that allows consumers to exchange the brush head. The Loop platform will recycle used brush heads for both manual and electrical brushes, P&G says.

Gillette and Venus will provide premium travel packs as durable packaging the consumer will keep in addition to the handle. The used parts and blades from these grooming products will be collected from consumers for further recycling by TerraCycle, P&G says.

Pampers and Always will test collecting used hygiene products from consumer homes for further recycling using proprietary technology developed by Fater SpA, a P&G and Italy-based Angelini Group joint venture. The technology turns used absorbent hygiene products into secondary raw materials for higher value applications, P&G says.

“We are building on more than 180 years of innovation and world-class consumer insight to enable responsible consumption at scale,” says Virginie Helias, P&G vice president and chief sustainability officer, says in a news release announcing the company’s packaging innovations. “We’re proud to partner with TerraCycle as the first CPG (consumer packaged goods) company to be part of this transformative program, which is just one of the many ways we are delivering on our Ambition 2030 goals to accelerate sustainable innovation and drive circular solutions.

“The time to act is now. We are passionate about harnessing the power of our global reach and the strength of our trusted global brands to scale-up more sustainable solutions,” she continues. “Transformative partnerships are key to achieve this mission as no one can succeed alone.”

“We are happy to partner with P&G and other global brands, retailers, infrastructure companies and the World Economic Forum to create a new way to more responsibly consume products,” says TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky. “Loop aims to not just eliminate the idea of packaging waste but greatly improve the product experience and the convenience in how we shop. Through Loop, consumers will be able to responsibly consume products in specially designed durable, reusable or fully recyclable packaging. Through the power and reach of trusted brands such as those of P&G, we will be able to change consumers' habits and achieve the scale required for the model to achieve its objectives.”

To use Loop, customers must go to the Loop website, https://loopstore.com, or Loop partner retailer’s websites to shop. They will receive their durable products in Loop’s exclusively designed state-of-the-art shipping tote that eliminates the need for single-use shipping materials such as cardboard boxes. As consumers finish their products, they place the empty package into one of their Loop Totes, and Loop will pick up the tote from their homes. Loop’s team of scientists has developed custom cleaning technologies so that each product can be safely reused. Loop replenishes products and returns the refilled shipping totes to the consumer. Recoverable used products, such as diapers, pads, razors or brush parts, will be reused or recycled.

According to the Berkeley City Council agenda, the legislation was proposed by City Councilmember Sophie Hahn and Arreguin. During the meeting, Hahn noted the importance of making a dramatic change in the products and packaging in order to reduce the amount of plastics in the ocean.

Through the new bill, Berkeley consumers will have to either bring their own cup when getting a drink to go or pay 25 cents for a disposable cup. Also, the legislation will require Berkeley restaurants to switch to compostable takeout packaging. In three years, the city hopes to launch a program that would allow residents to borrow reusable takeout containers, as well.

Hahn and Arreguin proposed the ordinance in the spring of 2018.

“Single-use disposable foodware is a local and global problem, one with enormous financial and environmental costs,” Hahn said in an April 2018 news release from the Berkeley Ecology Center on the proposed ordinance. “As a city striving toward zero waste, we do a good job with composting and recycling, but it is not enough. We need to start reducing our waste as well.”

Dreamstime

Casella Waste Systems announces pricing of public offering

Casella Waste Systems Inc., a regional solid waste, recycling and resource management services company headquartered in Rutland, Vermont, has announced pricing of an underwritten public offering of 3.1 million shares of its Class A common stock at a price of $29.50 per share, before offering discounts. The offering will result in aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $91.5 million to Casella, before deducting underwriting discounts and offering expenses, the company says.

Casella also has granted the underwriters of the offering an option for a period of 30 days to purchase up to an additional 465,000 shares of Class A common stock.

All of the shares in the offering are to be sold by Casella, and the offering is expected to close on or about Jan. 25, subject to customary closing conditions, the company says.

Casella says it intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, including potential acquisitions or development of new operations or assets with the goal of complementing or expanding its business, working capital and capital expenditures.

Casella is offering the shares pursuant to an effective automatic shelf registration statement (including a prospectus) that was previously filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The offering is being made only by means of the written prospectus and prospectus supplement that form a part of the registration statement. A preliminary prospectus supplement relating to and describing the terms of the offering was filed with the SEC Jan. 22 and is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. A final prospectus supplement relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC and will form a part of the registration statement and will also be available on the SEC’s website, the company says.

Copies of the final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering, when available, also can be obtained from Raymond James & Associates Inc., Attention: Equity Syndicate, 880 Carillon Parkway, St. Petersburg, Florida 33716, by telephone at 800-248-8863 or by emailing prospectus@raymondjames.com.

ZenRobotics Ltd., headquartered in Helsinki, has announced that its board has appointed Wolfgang Schiller as the company’s new CEO, effective immediately. Prior to joining ZenRobotics, Schiller was the vice president, electronics industry, at KUKA AG, one of the leading suppliers of intelligent automation solutions. As CEO of ZenRobotics, Schiller will be responsible for further developing ZenRobotics’ business and accelerating the uptake of intelligent robots in waste management, the company says.

“Wolfgang’s appointment as CEO is a clear reflection of the company’s readiness for the next phase of development: He brings demonstrated experience in driving significant growth by putting customers and innovation at the heart of the business,” says Wassim Sacre, chairman of the board of ZenRobotics and managing director of Invus.

Rising demand for intelligent waste sorting solutions paves the way for ZenRobotics’ expansion in deploying artificial intelligence- (AI-) based sorting robots to the waste management industry, the company says.

“ZenRobotics is one of those rare companies that have truly revolutionized the world through technology, and I couldn’t be more honored to be chosen to lead the company,” Schiller says. “The opportunity arising before ZenRobotics is vast, and to seize it, we must have a clear focus, move faster and continue to transform. A big part of my job is to accelerate our ability to bring innovative products to our customers faster.”

His previous positions at KUKA AG include vice president, electronics industry; director, area Europe; and director, customer services Europe. Prior to KUKA, he held several management positions in various technology companies.

“Robots support our strategy in seeking to improve the performance of waste treatment and materials recovery plants,” Schiller says. “In combination with AI, robots allow unique recognition and sorting capabilities. This technology allows our customers to recover more materials with a higher quality while minimizing the risk of accidents involving people.”

Florida scrap metal recycling company expands

Capital Scrap Metal LLC, headquartered in Pompano Beach, Florida, has purchased a new facility that will incorporate the company’s new headquarters building and provide additional warehousing space.

The new facility is adjacent to Capital Scrap Metal’s flagship yard in Pompano Beach. The company operates a total of five locations throughout south Florida.

“This building will enable us to increase our nonferrous processing and consolidate our administrative staff into one location,” General Manager Sean Harrigan says. “The overall objective, as always, will be enhancing our efficiencies and creating the highest quality package for shipping.”

The company, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, says it is pursuing additional opportunities and locations in 2019.